Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the behavior assessment system for children–third edition–child

To conduct a cross–cultural adaptation and revision of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition, Child (BASC–3–C) for the Chinese context and to examine its reliability and validity. The scale was translated by psychology graduate students under the guidance of developmental psychology experts to form a preliminary version. After a pilot test and further revisions based on feedback, the final Chinese version of the BASC–3–C was established, comprising Self-Report of Personality, Parent Rating Scales, and Teacher Rating Scales for children aged 6–11. Using stratified sampling based on China’s administrative divisions, the study covered 7 major geographical regions and 25 provinces. A total of 600 children were selected, balanced for age, gender, and parental education level, with matched parent and teacher samples. To evaluate known-groups validity, an independent clinical sample ( N = 60) was also recruited. Internal consistency was examined, structural validity was tested using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), and known-groups validity was assessed using Welch’s ANOVA and Games-Howell post hoc tests. The Chinese version of the BASC–3–C demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.75 to 0.96 across the different forms and composite scales. CFA supported the structural validity of the instrument, yielding acceptable model fit indices across dimensions (CFI = 0.91–0.97, TLI = 0.91–0.97, RMSEA = 0.03–0.08). The factor structure was generally consistent with the theoretical framework of the original BASC–3–C. Significant group differences were observed across the SRP–C, PRS–C, and TRS–C composite scales ( ps < 0.05). Findings provide initial psychometric support for the Chinese BASC–3–C, demonstrating its potential as a reliable and valid multi-informant tool for assessing both problem and adaptive behaviors in Chinese children aged 6–11.